Chapter One, Episode 87 - Joey's Rewind - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update
Thankfully, there was only a modest amount of revision to be done, completed with the addition of detail for clarity of the setting and the removal of a few typographical errors.

Joey's Rewind

Sixteen year old Joey Tucker didn’t really think the people at the Beaufort Estate were weird. He said that to his friend Steven for no reason. It just came out of his mouth without thinking. He had watched them all carefully. Just like he did at Christmas times when there were relatives there he didn’t know. He guessed what was strange about them was that he didn’t sense any meanness in any of them. Not even Digby, the butler. He really had known Digby’s name. He just didn’t want Steven to think he was paying attention to any of them. But he was. If anyone was weird it was Digby. He was pretty buttoned up but real nice. He treated Joey like a real grown up. Seems he and the Housekeeper, Martha - she didn’t like being called Mrs. Haverstock - had a thing. They were getting married! At their age! Joey thought they looked old enough to be his grandparents.

The only person Joey knew, but only a little bit, was Brigitte Smithson from across the street. He saw her frequently, waved and they would sometimes talk. He liked to call her Motorcycle Brigitte because she rode a pretty sweet motorcycle. Didn’t seem to have any regular guys. She was the one that hooked him up with the cleaning job that she had done for years. Now she was too busy with some different job with his new boss. She suggested him to Mrs. Beaufort and to Digby. Good thing his mom had just cut his hair. He never would have got that job with the dreads. After the argument with this mom and dad about his hair and his earrings and his tatts, he took out his earrings. When he went to the interview he wore his long sleeved shirt and long pants to cover them up. He was trying to look presentable. His mom said ‘It’s not perfect, but you look like a respectable young man rather than a hoodlum.’

There was something else that seemed strange to Joey. Mrs. Beaufort lived all by herself but had four people working for her. With him it would be five people. She didn’t have any kids, her husband was dead and her sister lived in Hartley. Joey’s family lived in a two bedroom bungalow. Both his mom and dad worked and he had to do most of the housework and yard work. Her sister Dez was pretty rad though. She just talked to him like a human being. She didn’t ask all kinds of nerdy questions like ‘How’s school going in this pandemic?’ ‘Do you like computer school or classroom school?’ Or the worst one ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’

But that wasn’t the strangest. It was the ghost. A little girl? On a swing? He had asked what kinds of things she did. Did she walk at night? Make strange things happen? What time of day or night did she show up? If he was going to do the cleaning upstairs where this ghost Sarah was, then he told them that he had a right to know. The night he was invited and stayed for supper with them, he asked right out about this ‘ghost’. They all started to talk at once. Martha had only seen her once, but knew that Sarah would set the dining room table sometimes. Dez saw her twice on the same evening. A figure standing upstairs in the living room window when she was driving in to the Estate. Dez assumed it was the little girl ghost. The second time, Dez saw her stood inside at the the same living room window. The ghost was on the swing outside on the big tree at the front. Her boyfriend, Matt, was there but only saw the rope scars on the tree. Brigitte had never seen her but had heard her. She said she would talk to Sarah sometimes when she was cleaning.  Digby didn’t try to get in on all the over-talking, but told Joey later on that he had ‘known’ Sarah for many years. He had first seen her when he was just starting to work at the Beaufort Estate. Even Miss Emelina - that’s what he was told to call Mrs. Beaufort - saw Sarah and together they moved all the furniture around. Cook - Joey told his friend, Steven, she put on a real good spread - didn’t say a word. 

Joey decided that he would like working with all these people. The evening that Joey stayed for supper, Brigitte drove him home on her motorcycle. It was a great night for a ride. Clear. Full moon. On that same bright night, Brigitte said something Joey thought strange. Out of the moonlit dark with the motorcycle rumbling, Brigitte said she would introduce him to Sarah soon. “She needs to know that you’re ok.”            

“That’s what getting to know someone is about. Judging them.”

~ Krystal Sutherland, Our Chemical Hearts   

Chapter One, Episode 86 - Dreadlocks, Tattoos and Earrings - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update
Thankfully, this Episode was much more organized. For this update, I recalled a second posting called 'Joey's Rewind' (Episode 87). Before making any changes or adding information, I compared the two episodes, only adding or removing content to maintain and improve consistency. With each review, I learn new areas I need to be alert for.

Dreadlocks, Tattoos and Earrings

“You’ve got to be kidding! A ghost! What kind of a place is that? Oooooooooo - you are vorking at a haunted mansion…Oooooooo.” Steven's wavery voice was drowned out by a passing car.

“Cut it out, Steve. It’s not haunted like that and the ghost is just a little girl. She's not even that scary. And besides that they’re nice people. Maybe a little weird or something, but they told me all about the place and fed me the best roast chicken supper I’ve had in a long time. My mom’s a good cook, but not roast chicken like that. And the pie! Cook said it was French lemon meringue pie. We never eat pie - it has to be fresh fruit and if we’re lucky we get some ice cream with it.”

Joey was sitting on an old vinyl chair in his driveway, plucking on his guitar. No particular melody just the occasional strum and tap on the wood. His friend Steven brought his keyboard out on his driveway for their regular jam session. He was playing no particular melody except something that may have been an attempt at jazz. So far their music only sounded like guys tuning their instruments.

“So what does your mom think?” Steven ran up the keyboard with chords, then tinkled down again. “Did you tell her about the ghost?”

“Not a chance……she probably wouldn’t let me take the job. This Covid thing got us out of going to school everyday, but man, I’m bored. I get my school work done in the mornings, if I get up….and then I’ve got all day. I just need to go out the Beaufort’s, make a couple of beds, clean the toilets, ……do all the stuff that my dad says is women’s work and I’ve still got all evening.” Joey feigned indifference. “The butler guy, think his name’s Dibby or Digby or something, will pay me every two weeks. I don’t know about learning to play this guitar. Looks so easy when Josh plays his.”

~~~~~

Sixteen year old Joey Tucker patted and shaped his hair, but it wouldn't stay put. He really wanted to keep his dreadlocks but his parents wanted him to apply for college. They said he’d be more presentable if he got rid of the dreadlocks and his tattoos and took out his earrings. “But that will change me. Me!” They argued. He yelled. His father got stony silent. His mother cried. He had to compromise just to keep the peace. He let his mom cut his hair. She was actually pretty good. She always cut his dad’s hair and some of her friends, and it turned out ok. The tattoos he couldn’t get rid of, but he could hide them. There weren’t that many anyway. “Some of my friends have them all over their whole body. Every single inch.You and dad are so unfair.”

“Young man, if you want a job now and walk in looking like you haven’t done an honest days work because you’ve spent all your time and money on making sure you look like some….lowlife that could care less……” His mom took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and turned back to her sewing. 

“Mom, look. I’m sixteen years old and I know what I’m doing. I’ll try it your way as much as I can. It costs money to get rid of tattoos so, I’ll cover them up if I have to. I’ll wear long sleeves and long pants just for today. But after that I'll only dress like that if an employer that I like insists.”

The earrings were another issue. “And those earrings! Who do you think is going to hire any young person with six earrings in one ear and four in the other - all of them different? Honey, please just grow up….no I didn’t say that. You are grown up, I just want you to be……..” “What mom? Acceptable? Presentable? Conform to what adults want?” Joey was angry. They might as well strip him of any personality at all. So I take out one or two earrings. Does that make me a better person? I’m applying for a cleaning job, mom. Not a CEO position.”

“But all your jobs can go on your resumé, sweetie. Ok. I’ll compromise. You can wear earrings but you need to choose only two…..and the skull earring has to go.”

~~~~~

So here he was, in front of his mirror, looking like a real dork. A dork that was going to clean for some uppity lady on an estate. Trying to keep his hair neat. Only two earrings. Only the top shirt button open and the shirt tucked in. Long sleeves. Long pants. Joey groaned. There weren’t many jobs out there. He had really lucked out. Motorcycle Brigitte, the woman who lived across the street in her parents basement suite told him about this job one day when he was cutting the grass. 

Before Brigitte left after a busy workday, she had asked Miss Emelina and Digby about hiring someone for the upstairs cleaning. “I just don’t have time for it since I’ve been working more closely with you Miss Emelina. It’s getting pretty out of order and dusty, especially in the dining room. I know you keep your room clean and tidy, but the rest doesn’t get taken care of on a regular basis. I do know a young man who just may want to earn a little bit of money.” When Brigitte came home that day, Joey was working away in his front yard leaning into his lawnmower. He was always doing something around the house and yard. After he was done his chores, he and Steven had jam sessions in parallel driveways. Even that was orderly. He always put his things away and kept the driveway and front walk clear for his parents when he was done. Dreadlocks, one or two tattoos and earrings had never been able to hide his polite and cheerful attitude. Brigitte thought he would be perfect out at the Estate. “Joey” Brigitte called out to him. “Are you still looking for work?”

“It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Chapter One, Episode 85 - Settings - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update
Critiquing is an awkward activity, unless the critic is the author. I was incredibly disappointed with this episode. Very disjointed. People arriving suddenly in the middle of dialogue with no explanation of where they had come from or what their purpose was in the story. 

This Episode required almost a complete rewrite of some passages, however rather than closing my computer in horror, I took it in the spirit of the writing exercise that it has been. My apologies for what was such a mess. Too hard on myself? I don't think so. All I can say is that I must have been half asleep when I originally posted this one.

Settings

“Where have you just come from with that sweet as syrup look on your face?” Mary Elizabeth Saunders, Cook on the Beaufort Estate, looked up from her work at the kitchen counter when Martha came in. “You left here with James and now you come back alone.“

Martha looked both excited and very happy. She was engaged to James Digby, the butler for the Estate. “You’ll never believe it Elizabeth. James and I had the very best talk. He was so nervous. I thought he was going to cry but that would never be like James. …..” Martha hesitated. Elizabeth was her best friend and James' good friend as well. However, she was cautious if she spoke of him. Changing the subject she said “Oh my, what are you cooking, Elizabeth? Mmm.....mmmm... Smells like roast chicken - did you stuff it with wild rice and chestnuts like you did before?” 

Knowing her friend well, Elizabeth let the sudden change of subject pass. She smiled “I did that, and onions and mushrooms. It’s a cool evening and we’ve had a lot of cool evenings so I thought a nice roast chicken would be good for supper.” With what could only be described as very superficial curiosity, Martha asked “But who’s going to eat it? We’ll all be off home for our suppers. I suppose cold chicken tomorrow will be a treat.”

Elizabeth decided to humour her. “Didn’t you know? There are guests tonight in the estate. Nobody fancy and we’ll all be eating down here. There’ll be Miss Dez and her not so young man, Mr. Matt. The two of them have been out in the orchard clearing the weeds and grass. The bee hives should be here next week so they want it ready and done.” Elizabeth chuckled. “Samuel may even be in for supper. Now that’s a real surprise. Samuel and Dez's fellow, 

Matt have been having big long talks.” She turned to Martha. “Why don’t you stay for your supper, Martha? Brigitte will be here. She'll just be finishing up with Miss Emelina so we could have a real family-type dinner. Mashed potatoes and gravy, a big coleslaw salad and fresh rolls. There’s pie for dessert. Then there’s that new employee who may be staying for supper as well. He's the young man your James hired to do the upstairs cleaning that Brigitte has no time for anymore, what with her work with Miss Emelina……” Cook put down her utensils and looked Martha square in the eye. “Now that I’ve cleared up who's going to eat this roast chicken supper, tell me what you and James did this afternoon, Martha. And don’t skirt around the question again, please.” 

“Well Elizabeth, don’t you be so coy with me. You know perfectly well what we did. I told you we would be talking about the cottage. But we talked about more than how lovely it is. Do you know, that man is seriously considering buying the that precious home?! For me! He hasn’t signed the final papers yet.” Martha prattled on “He got all troubled about whether he was doing the right thing or not. After talking with Giles, he decided that he wanted to be honest about it all. Such a dear man. At first I just wanted to hug his neck, but he was being so serious that I settled right down. I told him to just go ahead with his beautiful gift. And then I told him in no uncertain terms that if he thought this was going to be one of those white picket fence marriages he was sadly mistaken. James looked up at me and smiled. Then he sat back and started to laugh. I laughed with him.” Martha looked wistful as she told Elizabeth her story. With her eyes still bright with happy tears, she changed the subject. “Now, tell me about this new young man that will be working with us. What's his name? How old is he? Oh.....just what is he like?”

Cook stopped peeling potatoes, resting her hands on the counter. She turned her head to look at Martha “His name is Joey Tucker. He’s barely sixteen years old. Can’t get into school right now and has to do all his work at home because of the virus, the schools closed in March. He apparently has to keep up with the class work he's missed. He’s also trying to work but is only getting piece-work - some odd jobs, cutting grass and the like. Brigitte knows him from her neighbourhood and knew we needed someone.” She returned to peeling potatoes. “I’ve barely met him, but he seems a nice young man, except for the tattoos and the earrings. Can you imagine? Only sixteen and all marked up! Holes poked in his ears. But he does have a pretty smile and is polite and mannerly.”

The clatter of footsteps and busy conversation from the front stairway interrupted their conversation  as Dez and Matt came through the mudroom into the big kitchen. Emelina and Brigitte emerged from Digby's office. They had commandeered it for the afternoon, as he said he would be out. Joey Tucker, the new employee, bounded down the stairs, halting suddenly at the foot of the stairs. Seeing quite a gathering of strangers and Mrs Beaufort, he felt a bit awkward. He'd met the cook briefly, but didn't recognize the rest. Reluctant to sound too forward he said “Excuse me please, I'm finished for the day. I'll be on my way home now.” He was about to walk to the back door, when Mrs. Beaufort held her hand out to him. “Joey! I'm glad we've caught you before you could get away. Let me introduce you around” She turned to the rest “I think you've already met Cook briefly and you know Brigitte. There are a few others - our own little sort of family - Martha Haverstock, our Housekeeper, Dez Eliot, my sister and Matt Thornton, orchardist and Dez's good friend.” 

“Be true to your work, your word, and your friend.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Chapter One, Episode 84 - Almost Too Late - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update:
Starting this rather late today, I have finally completed my Review. There has been little difference from other reviews: one or two typos repaired and context added to various pieces of dialogue.

I am so grateful to those of you who read my little episodes despite the confusing writing. My reviews have pointed to the many gaps - so I thank you all.

Almost Too Late

It was getting late in the afternoon when Giles went into the house. James was changing from his house sweater to his light jacket. Cook was just finishing up. Not wanting Elizabeth to know their mission, James shook his head almost imperceptibly when he saw Giles. Nodding that he understood, Giles said “James, you ready to go?” 

Cook was too preoccupied with the week's menu to notice the tiny exchange between the two. “Two boys off to get in trouble, are you? Look in the refrigerator for a brown paper bag. There's sandwiches in the bag for you both. You can sit under the apple trees for an early supper.” She went back to her work.

“Thanks Cook. Can we take a couple of apples too?” Giles already had them in his hands. Have we got something to drink, James?”

Elizabeth looked up “Don’t bother James with that. There’s a thermos of cold sweet tea and two glasses in the paper bag with the sandwiches.

~~~~~

“That was a delicious lunch. The setting has been perfect and the company admirable.” James, relaxed and relieved after the afternoon's chat with Giles, was glad that he had called for help.

Earlier, James and Giles had walked in the direction of the apple orchard but once past the tool shed, continued walking over to the cottage. James didn't have a key yet, so they sat on the back steps with the early supper complements of Cook. “What is it, James? You didn’t give me any hints on the phone earlier.”

“I hadn’t even spoken my concerns aloud to myself, Giles. They do seem rather silly now but I still think I need to talk about them. I asked myself three questions to which I had no answers, merely a knot in my stomach.”

“And they would be?” Giles was curious. He knew that James did worry about everything, always trying to clear up every detail. He came to Giles when emotional details were the loose ends he couldn't tie up.

James ticked them off one at a time on his fingers. “Am I being controlling by buying this cottage for Martha? Am I acting as I would setting up a dinner party? Should I confess to Martha that I had not openly consulted her?”

Giles listened closely and then leaned forward “Wow! Coming from you, those are big questions, James. I’ll tell you what my dad would tell me: ‘what do you think, son? If you have such questions, then you may already know the answers.’ ” Giles was actually a bit stymied and had always appreciated that old ‘dad advice’. He hoped it would mean the same to James.

James was surprised at the suggestion that he may have his own answers. “In that case, I think I'd like a bit more of that tea.” James and Giles, in the back yard of the cottage, away from anyone that may be in earshot had much to discuss. 

Giles decided to jump on James' first question. “What gave you the idea to buy the cottage for Martha? That’s a lot of money to spend for a wedding present. You told me yesterday 'we would have five years of mortgage payments' and now you tell me that Martha has never been consulted. Don't you think that could be a problem after a while? I’m assuming that you had decided to pay them on your own and that saying 'we' was just a slip of the tongue.”

“Martha has worked so very hard for as long as I’ve known her. Over the years, this cottage has occasionally come up for sale.” James stepped down in the yard. He regarded the cottage very fondly as he thought of Martha and how much she dreamed about owning it. “She and Elizabeth would talk about what they would do if one of them owned it. When it came on the market recently, purchasing it for her seemed the right thing to do……until now.”

Giles had been listening and watching his friend. He saw the play of emotion on his face, from fondness to worry to sadness and back to fondness again. He could only offer what he knew. “James, Melanie and I have a great marriage, but we’ve still had one or two - maybe three -  rocky times. Actually more than that, but we’ve always gotten past them. Not by kissing and making up but by putting our cards on the table at the outset.” He looked away, thinking of the struggles and joys of their marriage.

“Giles, you’re telling me that I can’t make this a surprise for her?” James had stepped up to the veranda, pacing slowly and thoughtfully.

“No, I’m not telling you anything like that. You’ve known Martha for a lot longer than I’ve known either of you. Does Martha like surprises? You and she have made a lot of decisions together over the years? I don’t know, James.” Giles was frustrated. He wanted to just give his opinion and let that be the answer. He valued James' friendship more than that.

“Giles, you are a good friend.” James stood still and smiled at Giles. “A very good friend and a very annoying one. All you’ve given me is more questions and we’ve only just touched on the first one.” Both men laughed out loud, not something James was familiar with, but when he was with Giles he was able to relax and laugh. “I do believe that it's time I talked with Martha about this. I will 'put it on the table' as you suggested, but will continue with the purchase. Unless, of course, Martha is in complete disagreement. Ron, my financial advisor, did show me options that can be applied to the five years of mortgage payments. The surprise, on our wedding day, will be when I give her the contract with her name on it. I think I may have been acting too much the butler and the controller, but it’s always been Martha who has steadied my ship when I’m about to veer off course.”

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Chapter One, Episode 83 - Chain of Events - Situationally Theirs

Review, Revision, Edit and Update
In revision for Chain of Events, it involved the shifting of sentences within the third paragraph. Rather like moving puzzle pieces. Each sentence was ok, but their placement didn't quite fit nicely. 

I did add detail to several pieces of the dialogue that just seemed suspended in mid air with no attached little animation or thought bubble. These details provided context and clarity to the conversation between Giles, Dez and Emmie.

Chain of Events

Emmie and Dez were out in the garage talking with Giles. Bursts of laughter spilled into the warm spring afternoon. Earlier, they had been in the kitchen having tea with Martha, her long-time friend and Real Estate agent, Gracie, and Elizabeth, the Estate cook. Digby stopped briefly on his way to his office, but didn’t stay long. 

 Giles, chauffeur and mechanic for the Estate wiped the axle grease from his hands and laughingly exclaimed “You can’t be serious are you, Miss Dez?”

“As serious as this Covid virus, Giles. And call me Dez - not Miss Dez. Money was just lying on a desk at the bank that evening. All I wanted was a few coins and some bills.  I couldn’t see anyone around. Then, all of a sudden, I was on the floor and those two goofy security guys were dousing me with Lysol spray. I didn’t know I’d set off a chain of events that would lead me all the way into this garage.”

Thinking aloud, Giles said “So it must have been at the beginning of the pandemic? Right after everything shut down?” Gathering up his tools and putting them away on his tidy workbench, he spoke to Dez “I know those two guys, that’s if it was Stanley and Giovanni. We used to bowl together for what seems years ago but it's really been only about three months. We had our last game the day before all the restrictions hit us.”

Emelina decided to join their easy conversation. “Giles, what do you think of my wayward sister?” 

“Well, she’s not like any other wayward people I know. Sounds like my two friends did a pretty good job of cleaning her up for you. She does seem to be pretty good egg, Miss Emelina.”  Giles stopped Miss Emelina before she had a chance to ask that he drop the 'miss'. “No, I won’t drop the Miss and call you Emmie. I’ll still call you Miss Emelina. You’re still my boss. It was hard enough to learn to call you Miss Emelina when you’d been Mrs. Beaufort since I’d been hired. I’ve finally got used to that change.” Picking up some car wax and a polishing rag, he got to work shining up the Lexus. 

“Now that we have our names straight, what do the two of you think of Martha and Digby getting married?”  Dez was really the newcomer to the Beaufort Estate, so didn’t have the same history that Emmie and Giles did. She only knew that Martha and Digby had been there the longest, longer even than Emmie.  

Emmie spoke up “There was a time when I would have fired them on the spot.” She adopted a pinched and very serious look on her face: “There will be absolutely no fraternization between staff members.” Her face relaxed into a smile.

“And now?” Dez and Giles spoke at once. 

“Now, I just think it’s wonderful.” Emmie tilted her head to one side, thought a moment and continued. “They have been such good friends and all those rules belong to Michael’s mother. She did try hard to be Lady of the Manor. She passed on years ago and Michael, good son that he was, kept those rules in memory of her. I’m not sure he ever believed in them though, at least with this staff. I suppose it is a wise idea in many situations. All our rules on this Estate have been tossed up in the air like a deck of cards and we’re left to put them all back together again, keeping the ones that are still useful and dispensing with the ones that are just no longer useful.”

Dez stood up straight hearing her big sister speaking from her heart. Giles stopped polishing the hood of the Lexus, his arm still in position. “That’s quite an answer Miss Emelina. But you’re right. There was a time when you definitely wouldn’t have been here at the garage unless it was to…no, you would have rung your little bell and sent someone else - Brigitte, Martha, maybe even Cook to ‘fetch’ me.”

Dez interrupted the bumpy trip down memory lane: “Let’s get back to Martha and Digby. You two are getting far too serious. Do either of you really think that Digby should buy that cottage for Martha?” Dez had been let in on the wedding present secret. Even so, she was still not quite sure how or where she fit in on the Estate. She was never sure whether asking questions was the right thing to do.

Giles had resumed his polishing of the Lexus, moving around to the passenger side of the vehicle. From his bent position, he called out “What I know of Digby, and we’ve become quite good friends, when Digby makes his mind up about something it gets done. Yes he does investigate all the angles but makes sure they fit with his plans." He stood up. "This one has been a tough one for him. Appointments with his financial advisor. Research into the most qualified Real Estate agent. Poring through city records to make certain the cottage is sound. I'm sure he's not done yet."

“Speaking of Digby, your phone is buzzing and ‘Digby’ shows up on the caller ID.” Dez handed Giles his cell phone that had been lying on the tool bench. 

Giles quickly wiped his hands on the polish cloth and took the phone from Dez. “James. Hello. What can I do for you?”……….I’m just out here in the garage with Dez and Miss Emelina………Sure, I can take a break……Just a minute…….” Giles turned to Miss Emelina. “Can I take the Honda for a while? James wants to take a drive.”…….He turned back to his cell phone. “Yes Miss Emelina said she won’t need me. She and her sister are driving into town in Dez's car, to check on some supplies they ordered for the orchard……….Just give me about ten minutes while I put things away in here and I’ll be right in .”

“Is everything all right, Giles?” Emmie was concerned. She desperately hoped that there would be no health problems for either Martha or Digby.

Giles noticed a frown creasing Emmie's brow. “Don’t you worry, Miss Emelina. James is fine. He’s just got something that needs working out and he needs a friend to bounce things off of. We’ll go for a drive - a long drive. He sounded pretty serious.”

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, 

like art….It has no survival value; rather it is 

one of those things which give value to survival.”

~ C.S.Lewis, The Four Loves

Chapter One, Episode 82 - Best Laid Plans - Situationally Theirs

Review, Edit and Update

Reviewing "Best Laid Plans", I was disappointed as I found it rather disjointed. I have revised much of it to create more consistency, hopeful that I have done so. I've also fleshed out some of the dialogue by providing details for each situation.

Thankfully, there were only one or two typos to deal with.

Best Laid Plans

“This cottage is so lovely, Gracie, but I really don’t know if James and I can afford it. After all we are both past the age when we should be taking on a new mortgage.” James had accompanied the two women on the tour of the cottage, but had gone ahead 'to run an important errand'.

Martha Haverstock and Graciola Manorly, like two young girls, were sitting on the steps of the cottage that led to the garden. Martha, the Housekeeper for the Beaufort Estate and Gracie, a local Real Estate agent had spent the last hour looking over the yard and through the cottage again. Each room was Martha’s favourite, especially the room she had chosen for a sewing room. It had a window that swung open to the garden area, a large cupboard that could be a closet. “Isn’t that smart?! Adjustable shelves. I could get all my supplies and my sewing machine in there and close the door on everything. There’s room for a fairly large cutting table, a comfortable chair and a small book case. I think you’d best get me out of here before I start to cry. James must love the kitchen, although he didn’t spend much time looking at everything. I have seen him in his own kitchen and he loves to chop and spice and cook.”

“Martha, you’re right getting out of here. Right now, I think we both need a cup of tea or coffee.” Gracie could see that her friend had had enough. “You have to get back to the Estate, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’m really finished for the day, but I’ve left some of my things there. I need to get them before I go home. Have you ever met Elizabeth Saunders, the Estate cook? She should still be there and she's been baking today. Of course, I think she bakes every day. Come with me and we can have tea - or coffee, if you’d like - and whatever goodies Elizabeth has made. You must have been on your feet all day!” Martha, her hand on the wooden railing, stood up. She extended a helping hand to Gracie.

“That sounds wonderful. I’d love to see where you work and meet your friend. But let’s take my car. It’s really a bit farther by the time we drive out the main road and around, but my feet are ready to take a rest.” Gracie reached into her voluminous shoulder bag for her keys. Looking back at the front door, she said. “The Cottage is all locked up safe and secure.” Martha took one last fond look at what could have been her dream home and followed Gracie around the side of the house to her car.

~~~~~

James Edward Digby had no intention of being tied to a large mortgage. His own home had been paid off several years previously. He had few bills except for utility bills, no children or grandchildren and seldom went out. He had been saving money for what his dad called ‘a rainy day’. This pandemic could be called quite a thunderous day, but fortunately, he would not need his nest egg. Global Grand Bank had been closed to walk in clients but he had been able to work with his financial advisor, Ronald Green, over telephone and Skype. He had reminded James that he would also be able to take advantage of funds from the sale or rental of his house.

Martha had fallen in love with the cottage. James had been so certain that she would, that he had begun discussions with the bank in preparation for purchase of the cottage as a wedding present to Martha. They would be paying a nominal mortgage payment for five years, but even if he and Martha retired, their government pensions and savings would take care of it. His financial advisor was not in favour of this type of expenditure, but he had known James long enough that he knew when to just talk about risk management. James always listened, and sometime tailored his plans appropriately. He was quite set on purchasing this cottage and had the funds to do it, so Ron set up all the needed electronic forms.

~~~~~

Sitting at the kitchen table with Gracie, Martha heard someone come in the back door. She looked up to see who it was. “James! You’re back from running your errand. Gracie and I have just come from that beautiful little cottage and are in need of Cook’s scones and a cuppa. Do you have time to sit and visit? My goodness, here’s Miss Emelina and Miss Dez. Elizabeth... everyone... this is my good friend, Graciola Manorly. She’s just been showing James and I that cottage across the way. You know, I don’t even know the address, but I guess that’s not important now. James, we’d never be able to afford such a purchase. We might just as well get back to our wedding plans. Gracie, you've been asking about them and now you get the chance to find out all the details.”

Emmie and Dez looked like two naughty children caught stealing cookies. Cook was uncharacteristically silent, putting scones, butter and apricot jam on the table. Martha hadn’t been kept completely in the dark, except she didn't know what errand James had been on. Martha continued on about their upcoming wedding.  “We can’t manage this wedding all on our own, James. Even a small wedding like ours needs more hands than just ours.” Unbeknownst to Martha, James had approached Emmie and Dez after he and Martha had discussed their upcoming wedding. What they each wanted, who they wanted to attend and where they would go for their honeymoon. When he did approach them he told them what had been decided. “It will be a quiet wedding, just the people in our 'bubble' - the house staff and Martha’s daughter and grandchildren, Giles and his family. Martha put the invitations in the mail yesterday. Cook and Brigitte will be making us lunch following. If the weather is cooperative, we’ll have the ceremony beneath the redwood. If not, Miss Emelina, would we be able to have the ceremony upstairs in the living room facing the redwood?”

"Of course, Digby! I would be honoured." Emelina felt a flush of pleasure at the thought of supporting these two wonderful people.

~~~~~

Earlier, when James had finished speaking with his financial advisor, he ended the call and closed his laptop. He had misgivings. Not about Martha and their upcoming marriage. Not about buying the cottage. But about how he was behaving. Was he starting off their marriage being a controlling husband? Was he acting as he would in his butler role setting up a dinner party? Do I go out to the kitchen and fess up? He’d never been married before so he didn’t know how he should be acting. Once more, he was in need of a friend to talk with, but no one was there. This needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. But he really wanted the cottage to be a surprise. He picked up his phone and called Giles.

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

~ Ernest Hemingway, The Wild Years